Celebrate, which was awarded just one star by The Daily Telegraph reviewer Christopher Howse, promised to provide a 'cornucopia of information that is fascinating, inspiring and wonderfully accessible.'

But it was mocked for its banal descriptions of how to hold a sack race, (The first person to cross the finish line is declared the winner) and ideas for providing ice at parties - "make batches of your own and store in freezer bags."

The price was slashed from £25 to just £6.25 by WH Smith in a bid to shift more copies before Christmas.

Pippa's top tip for Christmas day was: "Because of their size, turkeys are perfect for feeding large gatherings."

"What is the point of this thick, colourful book, except as a sort of cultural tea bag for the American market?" wrote Mr Howse," Who will rely on its recipes for cooking a turkey, a Victoria sandwich or a leg of lamb?"

Miss Middleton was reportedly paid a £400,000 advance for the book but sales have failed to live up to expectations, with just 2,000 sold in the first week.

Pippa at the launch of Celebrate

Veteran novelist Jilly Cooper, author of a string of raunchy bestsellers, described the book as "terrible" and claimed bosses at Penguin were "slitting their wrists".

Speaking before the launch of Celebrate, Pippa said: "This book is designed to be a comprehensive guide to home entertaining, based on my experience in my family's party business, Party Pieces, and work for London-based events company, Table Talk.

"It is a useful and practical journey into British-themed occasions and I hope it offers welcome inspiration and ideas, most of which needn't leave you alarmingly out of pocket."

These include "Many ready meals aren't quite ready to eat, you'll often need to pop them in a microwave or oven first" and "A great way to entertain friends, loved ones and other people is to tell a joke or recite an amusing story."